Friday, September 04, 2009

Friday! Better yet, Friday before a three day holiday weekend!

A bitch is exhausted, but a three-day holiday weekend should go a long way toward addressing that shit.

Yay for Labor Day!

Shall we?

This bitch is pondering parenting.

Blink.

I’m not a parent. I don’t play one on t.v. and I’ve never step-parented. But I do have a lot of friends and family who are parents. One of the things that become clear when observing parents is that they have a lot of influence over their chil’ren. As a matter of fact, parents are key influencers…even though it may appear that their chil’ren don’t listen to a damn thing they say.

When a parent takes a stand, their kids take note and attach a lot of weight to whatever it is that parent took a stand on.

When they indulged in this latest public display of fear-based distrust they were teaching their children a lesson.

Now, I’m not one of those folks who are going to poo poo the lesson these parents are teaching. Fantastical fear of the persuasive powers of a liberal President (note - some of us are shocked that he’s still getting branded a liberal after all that moderate behavior) is just one in a long line of fucked up shit some adults pass on to their kids.

I mention this sad happening…that public school districts would decline to air an address to students by the President of the United States of America because folks over-analyzed his prepared remarks and think he’s trying to get his cult on and steal the fragile little minds of their youngins…only because it is a public display of something that mostly happens behind closed doors.

‘Tis a public display of how one generation passes on to a younger generation fear, hatred and ig’nance dressed up as parental concern.

Go ahead and let the knee fly…a bitch hopes some of y’all kick yourselves in the head and knock some sense loose.

Since the election of this nation’s first President of color, Anonymouses have peppered a bitch’s blog with proclamations that racism is over…that bigotry died last November…that this election was a huge culture changing ig’nance curing happening that has rendered my explorations of social injustice un-necessary and dated.

And since the election of this nation’s first President of color, a bitch has witnessed a sharp rise in racist Anonymouses who cling to the language of hate even as they demonstrate its foundation of fear in every comment they make. I have watched the outrageous and ideologically impossible charges made against President Obama…listened to the fantastical conspiracy theories that have been floated…and winced as the mob sank their teeth into the tried and false accusations of communism and socialism that scar my country’s history every time the status quo is challenged.

Then we have this latest “Oh my Gawd, I can’t have this black liberal President talking to my children!!” bullshit.

Sigh.

Here we are facing real challenges and pondering real questions while more than one group of parents is teaching their chil’ren that the President of the United States is a member of The Borg and they mustn’t eat any candy from him lest it be Soylent Green…plus he was born on Mars and is probably a Cylon…oh, and he’s got a death list with Grandma and Paw Paw and the family dog on it too!

These people are the greatest influencers in their children’s lives.

They have the strongest impact on what those kids think.

So, don’t try to tell this bitch that change is easy or that one election changed everything so now everything is fine.

Change is hard and hard won.

My country’s history…and that’s right, this is my motherfucking country too…is riddled with case after case after case of violent resistance to change.

And you can bet your ass those folks from back in the day learned to think that way from…wait for it…their parents.

I agree with both u & Tina...it has been a 'me' generation for some time...meaning if it isn't my class of ppl, within my thinking, then it is wrong. This is also wrong on any level, THIS IS THE PRESIDENT OF OUR COUNTRY...he wants to talk to the lazy ass kids/parents about 'doing community service', about uniting, staying in school, get your education on....and parents reject what they won't tell the kids?? They claim the man will come out with politics & right now that is in the front of all this...heaven forbid that the kid might actually learn to be a better person & think outside his parents views?

Btw, has anyone read or seen the speech he is giving yet or have I missed it online cause I would love to hear/see it!

This could be a mix of anti-liberalism and racism. That would explain the conflicting charges that "he's a socialist" and "he's a Muslim-Nazi-communist" along with "he was born on Mars with Borg and Cylon parents."

The thing is the kids will hear what he has to say anyway because their friends will be talking about it. Just like we had to endure Bush they have to endure Obama(can you believe they think of him as someone to be endured?). These are people who more than likely voted for Bush. They are antihelping. They think poor people are lazy or that you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps or some other American Myth. They believe the myths and that is the problem.

SOme folks optimistically say things like "racism will be older when this lder generation dies off." Problem is, folks have been saying/hoping that for several generations. One of the reasons it has not come to pass is because younger generations of not(-yet) racists are socialized into racism by their racist elders.

It is a cycle--like domestic violence or inter-generational substance abuse. And it will not end with the mere dying off of older generations.

I haven't been reading long but I am often enamored by a bitch's words. For those who want it, I'm hearing that the text of the President's speech is going to be released Monday. More than likely on the education section of The Briefing Room blog on Whitehouse.gov. I'm not a parent either, but I fully intend to take my seat at the office tv and try to find this speech for lunch. I'm sure it will be online, but I live in Texas and peaceably pissing off my conservative coworkers is a thing I LIVE for. My question is, when did it become acceptable to hold THIS level of contempt for a sitting President of the United States? I was no Bush fan, but he was my democratically elected (so says The Supreme Court) President and when he talked, I usually listened. Even if reluctantly. I try not to call everything racism as a Black man. But labeling the President everything under the sun so that your base can find a buzzword they don't like and hide behind it as opposed to outright stating that they don't trust the Black man to lead them is a travesty, and I wish the President could remain dignified and say so. But for now, it is up to us to call bullshit for what it is. I thank a bitch for doing it so very thoroughly.

Check out Tim Wise's most recent book, "Between Barack and a Hard Place, Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama." The basic arguement, whites will use Obama's victory as "confirmation" that racism has been eradicated. And then they will use his image to the detriment of all others. His success will only further "prove" that Black men CAN succeed, and that Black men and women should just shut up already. Also, he goes into great detail to explain the success of Obama's campaign, and how his success was entirely hinged on his ability to "transcend" his race (ie: blackness=bad). So what does Obama's victory say about White America? It says that we are still racist and like to feel like we are not racist. So we choose to vote for a Black candidate because it makes us feel good. BUT, Obama displayed very little, if any, markers of what whites view as "Black culture." So what does this mean? Well, it means whites like Blacks who act white. Pure and simple. Our country has a long-ass way to go. Keep up the good work Shark-Fu, you are a Goddess!

There is a huge push back from the extreme right on anything Obama related. Lots of crazy talk makes its way to the front of the daily discussion, but that's to be expected since they have popular newspaper, radio and tv platforms to shout from.

No matter what your political view is I think it's a shame that some people let their fears and hatred control their thoughts & decisions.

Why not allow your child to hear from a man who came from nothing (single mother on Gov't assistance)to becoming the president of the United States.

That's the ultimate success story of what American is and can produce.

I'm so sick of this country. The Dems roll over, the MSM, Fox "News", the Reich Wing blah blah. That fucktard Bush, who stole both elections, talked to school children. I don't recall any liberals pulling their kids out of school. I'm sick of these racist pigs.Nixons Southern Stratgy is still strong as ever. The only thing I can do as a white person is call it out when I see it.